Georgia has quickly become one of the biggest film industries in the world, putting the “ATL” into the Hollywood of the South. However, one of the big struggles the industry has come across over the years of building up the Georgia film industry, is the lack of qualified professionals available to work locally. Many are still being hired from California and New York and temporarily relocated for projects (our ForLease Atlanta agents have had the pleasure of housing some of them), which is not good for locals trying to break into the industry. Thus enters Mayor Kasim Reed’s and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local (IATSE) 479’s launch of the ‘City of Atlanta Entertainment Program.’

Job Training

According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle (ABC), this program will be the first of it’s kind in the United States, and will focus on increasing the number of trained crew members in Georgia, which will also help build up our local film industry even more. The City of Atlanta Entertainment Program will train men and women on such “below-the-line” job skills such as: editing, makeup, post production, visual effects, animation and even cinematography.

Atlanta’s Mayor Reed was quoted by the ABC saying, “I am proud to support the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency and the Office of Entertainment’s efforts to facilitate employment opportunities for Atlanta residents in the film and television production industry. Providing a trained below-the-line workforce is critical to the film industry’s growth in Atlanta and Georgia. This program will ensure that our residents and young people have access to learn from world-class professionals and acquire vital skills.”

How It Works for Locals

This new program will be free for ALL production companies in Atlanta, Georgia. Georgians who are considered ‘qualified applicants’ will be able to apply for positions as trainees in motion picture and television productions in Atlanta, and the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency will pay the trainees’ wages for the 17 weeks – length of the program. Trainees accepted into this new program will be introduced to the film industry with an intensive two-day workshop and the IATSE Local 479 will work with producers to put all of the trainees on set.

Those interested in applying to the Atlanta Entertainment Program must have a valid Georgia Driver’s License, must register with AWDA and go through an intake process. Admission is done on a rolling basis.

Relocate to Atlanta

If joining the busy television and film industry is your heart’s desire, living in a convenient Atlanta location is essential. The city of Atlanta is ranked as having the 15th worst traffic in the country, something that you will want cut down on when needing to travel around to various set locations. So it doesn’t really make sense to live outside of the city, where commute time skyrocket! Let our agents at ForLease Atlanta find you a great Atlanta condo or apartment to lease while you are enjoying the excitement of this new entertainment training program.

Please contact us to schedule a private appointment with one of our experienced ForLease Atlanta agents by calling 404-228-0913. We look forward to speaking with you and learning about your local tv/film industry dreams!

If you lease an Atlanta condo or apartment, Halloween night might be an uncertain time, regardless of whether you have kids or not. If you are new to your property, knowing if you should plan on trick-or-treaters may cause a bit of worry, to say the least; so ForLease Atlanta has a few ideas for you!

Apartment / Condo Tricks for Halloween

If your property is not planning a Halloween event (some do), suggest a ‘property wide event!’ Not sure how to plan this? Here are some basic tips:

Time - Make the event match your city’s declared trick-or-treat time; check your local news station if you are unsure about what time this is.

Music – Does a neighbor want to play music to give your floor a certain ambiance? Great! Try to encourage your neighbors to coordinate their efforts with only one space playing music per floor; competing music can be too much in shared spaces.

Welcoming Knocks – Make a standard ‘sign’ for your neighbors to display outside their places, so trick-or-treaters know which doors it is okay to knock on. Everyone participating could simply tie an orange ribbon to their door knob as an easy way to achieve this. Just make sure the entire building is aware of what is decided (communicate clearly)!

Lack of Spirit

If your community seems to be lacking Halloween spirit try taking your kids to a nearby community event. Many schools, churches and local businesses (check your local mall or outlet shop) offer ‘trunk-or-treats’ to kids on Halloween for free, while other businesses charge a fee. Here are a few Atlanta events to consider:

Happy Halloween from ForLease Atlanta!

From everyone here at ForLease Atlanta, we wish you luck in making your plans for this October 31st! If you would like more information about our Atlanta condo or apartment locator services, please contact us by calling 404-228-0913. Happy Halloween!

Curbed Atlanta and the Atlanta Business Chronicle have recently posted articles about what is being planning and greenlighted for certain areas of Buckhead, Georgia. Among many plans, one is a high-rise apartment project and another is for plans of ‘creative’ offices. Keep reading to find out more from ForLease Atlanta about both of these projects planned for our little “Beverly Hills of the South.”

Dreaming BIG

OliverMcMillan has projected a delivery date of early 2018 for the grand addition of “The Office Buckhead Atlanta,” a creative workspace that will add more than 230,000 square feet for office space and 30,000 square feet with retail space to this prominent area of Buckhead. The renderings and plans for the office space include: five floors of parking, a fitness center, rooftop terrace and more, located on Peachtree and East Paces Ferry roads and Bolling Way.

Image via OliverMcMillan website.

Living the High Life

Charlotte-based Crescent Communities, in collaboration with Preston Partnership, has a project in the works right across the street from Lenox Square. They plan to fill the now vacant lot on Lenox Road with a 25-story high-rise apartment tower, featuring 352 units in protruding multistory glass boxes. “Crescent Lenox” could potentially be the tallest building in its block, matching height to the AMLI City Place development already under construction just two blocks away.

Renderings by Crescent Communities via Atlanta Business Chronicle.

ForLease Atlanta: Your Condo and Apartment Locator

If either of these projects peak your interest, we are sure our agents can help you find out more information and even find you similar options around the city. Please call us to schedule a private appointment with our ForLease Atlanta agents at 404-228-0913. We look forward to speaking with you!

ForLease Atlanta always keeps an eye on the real estate market for our clients, to keep them informed about the latest trends. In the beginnning of October, Rent.com recently released it’s seventh annual Property Owner and Manager Market Report for 2015 that shares nationwide trends about the rental market, so we would like to share a brief summary of the findings.

Rental Inventory

Rent.com’s report has found that 2015 rental vacancies are at a steady decrease. This makes sense when factoring in the numbers from the U.S. Census, which showed national vacancy rates in the second quarter of 2015 were 6.8% for rental housing, down nearly a full percentage point (from 7.5%) from the same time in 2014. This means that vacancy rates are the lowest they have been in about 20 years!

Side Effect of Low Vacancies

Since the rental market is much more saturated and essentially ‘in demand,’ it is leaving less room for renters to negotiate terms and is driving prices upward. However, even though this is the case around the country, the rent.com report shows that 56% of property managers claim they have not become more selective of potential renters. What does matter to them? Money. The unfortunate news is that: “…53% of property managers said that they were more likely to bring in a new tenant at a higher rate, than negotiate and renew a lease with a current tenant that they already know.”

2016 Market Projections

Given the current trend, it is expected that rental rates will only continue to rise in 2016. Specifically, rates are expected to rise an average of 8% across the rental market next year. This rate is likely to keep rising as it has been noted by property managers that an increase of millennial renters and former homeowners have entered the already crowded rental market. 43% of these property managers also report they are seeing more and more applicants unable to meet income requirements of properties on their own. Why? Much of this has to do with the general state of the country right now; limited job availability, lower incomes, high students loans, high debt, etc.

Although this rent.com report may seem like a big negative for future renters, it is just another reason why having a ForLease Atlanta agent on your side is such a good idea! Our highly skilled agents can help you navigate the Atlanta’s rental market and be your Atlanta condo or apartment locator! Together we will find your perfect place to call home.

Welcome!

We at ForLease Atlanta want to welcome you to this beautiful and exciting city and assist you in locating the perfect property in your ideal neighborhood. Our professional agents are trained experts that will guide you through the local neighborhood nuances and assist in making your location selection fast, easy, and personal.